Anyone ever spiked up a Japanese Black Pine?

[Sunrise Guy]

I'm doing a take-down in the next few days on a seventy foot Japanese Black Pine. It's dead, but there are still cones in it so it looks like its demise was fairly recent. The bark is in smooth plates and they peel off with a little prying. I'm just feeling hesitant to spike it. Anyone here ever had a bad experience with spiking one? I'm thinking kick-out.

 

[D Mc]

I always view dead pines as a hazardous tree. If you can separate the bark down low on the trunk (which I am assuming), deterioration has taken place. Only you, as you are climbing the tree, can judge just how badly the tree's integrity has been compromised.

Spurring out is not so much a concern as long as your spurs are sharp and set up for hard wood. Depending how fast you are with spurs, watch your rhythm. What a live tree can take, can snap the top out of a dead one. I will personally do everything I can NOT to lower from a dead pine that I am tied into. I have seen too many of them fracture from shock loading.

Use caution and good luck!

DMc

 

[jmack]

I'm doing a take-down in the next few days on a seventy foot Japanese Black Pine. It's dead, but there are still cones in it so it looks like its demise was fairly recent. The bark is in smooth plates and they peel off with a little prying. I'm just feeling hesitant to spike it. Anyone here ever had a bad experience with spiking one? I'm thinking kick-out.

try cinching your climbing linr arond the trunk by clipping you snap to the rope keep it on your front dees and move it up as you go with you lanyard if you gaff out the rope will grab the trunk and you so as not to barber pole down the trunk.

 

[clearance]

I always view dead pines as a hazardous tree. If you can separate the bark down low on the trunk (which I am assuming), deterioration has taken place. Only you, as you are climbing the tree, can judge just how badly the tree's integrity has been compromised.

Spurring out is not so much a concern as long as your spurs are sharp and set up for hard wood. Depending how fast you are with spurs, watch your rhythm. What a live tree can take, can snap the top out of a dead one. I will personally do everything I can NOT to lower from a dead pine that I am tied into. I have seen too many of them fracture from shock loading.

Use caution and good luck!

DMc

X2, all I do now is climb dead pines, I have lowered very little, never a block, log or top. I am in the middle of a massive pine beetle infestation, I come first, way ahead of property. If someones lawn matters that much, get a crane. I see how stuff busts into million pieces when it hits the ground, I see big butt logs break at 20"+ just from hitting the lawn, etc. I will not risk my life for something so stupid. JMack is right too, I choke my scare strap on little trees as well. You have to have good, sharp, and in my opinion, straight shank spurs.

 

[adam]

If there are any large trees around, try to use them to your advantage, crane or bucket are not a bad idea. Good luck.